The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their most eventful game of the 2017 NFL season after a gritty matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals. A physical showdown was to be expected going into Monday Night Football. However, things eventually got a bit out of hand.
Although there is no love lost between these two AFC North rivals, the same does not go for the Baltimore Ravens. According to ESPN's Jamison Hensley, veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger feels there is much more mutual respect with the Ravens than there is with the Bengals:
“The difference between this game and the Cincinnati game is these two teams — us and Baltimore — there's always a respect involved in it,” Roethlisberger said. “You're going to get hit really hard or you're going to hit somebody really hard, but you're going to help them up and say, ‘Man, nice job.'
“At the end of it, you're going to shake hands and give the other guy a hug and say that was a lot of fun and can't wait to do it next year. It's a fun rivalry in the sense that there's a lot of respect and there are two good football teams.”
The rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens was at the height of its power during the early years of Roethlisberger's career. During that time, both teams were headlined by two of the most formidable defenses in the league. Although they always made sure to bring the pain during their showdowns, the elite status of each team left a sense of mutual respect for one another.
Despite managing to pull out the clutch win, it was a tough night for the Steelers, to say the least. Aside from the devastating injury to linebacker Ryan Shazier, they ultimately found themselves on the short end of a couple of questionable suspensions. As a result, rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will be unavailable for their potential playoff-clinching game against the Ravens in Week 14.
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